Marks and Spencer support new Hooters in Bristol, #2

[sethstarkaddersmum]

I went to post on the first thread but it was full so here is a new one.

I'm reposting Jessinavalon's OP from 10th September since it explains what is going on, for anyone who is new to the issue:

'Dear all
This is my first post on here so I hope I am doing this right!

I live in Bristol and, last week, 'Hooters' was granted a licence to open in the city centre. The site is virtually opposite 3 apartment blocks, the lower floors of which are social housing and children are living in them.

What's most disappointing is that Marks and Spencer are leasing the site to 'Hooters'. They have been e-mailed by many concerned people to ask if they will reconsider leasing the building but they have just replied saying it is a "commercial decision" (as if that makes it ok!). In Sheffield, a 'Hooters' didn't even make it to application stage because the developer (Ask Pizza) realised that it would be better not to be associated with a company like 'Hooters'.

Marks and Spencer don't seem that concerned, however. Although they have signed up to the "Let Girls Be Girls" Mumsnet campaign they are not concerned about a company which sells merchandise including babygros which say "Future Hooters Girl" and "Does my butt look big in this?"

I have written to Marks and Spencer telling them that I won't be shopping in their stores again. If you feel strongly about this, please e-mail:

[email protected].

'Hooters' tries to sell itself as a family friendly restaurant but it is anything but. The Hooters in Nottingham attracts mainly stag parties and football fans. Hooters Girls take part in bikini contests and iced wet t-shirt competitions (the t-shirts are put in the freezers before the girls wear them). 'Hooters' has links to Playboy magazine....I could go on.....

I think Marks and Spencer should be shamed for facilitating this company's expansion into Bristol. They are selling women and girls down the river by leasing to this company and all just to make a "quick buck".

Thanks everyone.'

Btw, our resident lurker did say that he would have got down there himself if he was in a fit state (he was up at 3am commenting on feminism threads) so don't be put off by his scathing comment about never having researched an employer like this. I nearly offered to go down there and pick up an application form for him! Perhaps he has orange hotpants envy?

So were they actually hiring for 'hooters girls' on Saturday?

Tell me more about this 'A3 consent' business, it sounds facinating.

NO do tell us more about yourself David, and your opinions. They are fascinating. And original. In fact, if it wasn't for you popping up on this thread from time to time, we might forget there are people out there who think like you.

I wonder how our troll (sorry, contributor who just happens to have a different opinion) is getting on with the reading list I gave him. He was so keen for evidence that I'm sure he'll be at least halfway through The Beauty Myth by now.

Have to say that, annoying as he is, he is good for keeping the thread bumped!!

Sakura...as if we needed a reminder! Half the men I know are like him. I hear this stuff all the time. I've already got a full house with feminist troll bingo!

Can anyone tell me if M&S responded to the letter from MN re Hooters? I lost track of the old thread.

No not heard anything. I have been asking that too. I know MNHQ were waiting to hear back from their contact but that was a couple of weeks ago now.

'David' - don't fret, even though you didn't make it down on Saturday, you can still apply online.

hooters.co.uk/

Good luck, fingers crossed etc.

'Donal'

MumofRachel - do you think there was anything that happened in the interview process that could be deemed illegal? Sadly, I'm not an employment lawyer (I'm sure we could trawl MN for one) but I read your account on your blog, and it certainly sounds as if you could at least claim age discrimination. Not suggesting you take on a case or anything, but if you had evidence, you could forward it to the Equalities Commission?

Interested in the licensing issue as well. If A3 is a food and drink license, they would certainly need a separate entertainment licence. Maybe that's something someone can take up with their local councillor? Although the local political representation in Bristol sounds about as effective as a wet paper bag......

I wonder if the politicians are conveniently ignoring the protests because they think there are larger issues at stake - the Bristol economy, for example. In a recession, they might be thinking, we need to create jobs, whatever compromises that requires.

Can we just ignore David please? He has nothing helpful to add, and we're only feeding the troll by replying to his posts.

Oh, I see, the A3 'line of inquiry' is all secret squirrel now, is it?

I just thought I could check it out for you and warn you if you were barking up the wrong tree. I mean, I wouldn't want you to expend your precious campaign energies on any dead ends, would I?

Thanks Jess. Good luck with the campaign.

"I wouldn't want you to expend your precious campaign energies on any bell dead ends, would I?"

THanks David, you're all heart

Okay, will ignore from now on.

Age discrimination info from www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/dvsequl/agedisc/ageandemp.htm

"Age, age-related criteria or age ranges should not be used in advertisements except to encourage applications from age groups which do not usually apply. While such forms of encouragement through positive action are lawful, positive discrimination is not and employers need to make sure they treat everyone fairly regardless of their age especially when trying to redress imbalances in the average age of their workforces.

While age should never be taken into account in employment decisions, age details are needed by employers for a variety of reasons including, for example, workforce monitoring. ...

Interviewers and those concerned with selection must be trained to make sure they understand what causes age discrimination and how to avoid it so they make recruitment decisions based on objective criteria relevant to the job and personal merit."

If it's based on personal merit, my 8 years bar experience should put me in fine stead.

ok MumofRachel.... while I applaud what you're doing here, what I don;t get is, surely Hooters will know about this thread and your blog (since they ain't exactly secret) and say 'We chose not to employ her even though she was well-qualified since we had reason to suspect she was not a genuine candidate?'

if they asked you dodgy stuff in interview and have proof of that, that sounds like something you could use. The mere fact that you didn't get the job, though, you couldn't, in my (not particularly well-informed) opinion.

Who do we ask/tell about that obvious A4 discrepancy. Won'T it work in future for the licencing for those other 30 or so Hooters that are planned? You can't say it's not an entertainment venue so you can get a licence, and then say it is an entertainment venue so you can discriminate, surely?

A4?

I thought Hooters had A3 consent.

Are you saying that they should have applied for A4?

Oh yes, and can you please explain what you mean by 'entertainment venue' in the context of Town and Country planning use classes?

A4 is the paper I normally use for printing

Why don't you just write a long rambling letter about it and send it to the Council planning department. With all the cuts and everything, the planning officer will be more than happy to explain it all to you

I have actually discovered a potential discrepancy, but as nobody wants to talk to me any more, I'm not sure if I want to share it.

Don'T believe you

well, y'know Sakura, he has a big male brain so he might well have found something that all us silly women have missed.

Well, have you thought about.... Wait a minute, I know what you're up to. You'll have to do better than that!

oh for goodness sake